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An unopened carton of this concentrate was passed along by a coworker who didn’t think it tasted like she expected. So I set the bar pretty low…

…and jumped over it by a mile! I used 50-50 skim milk and half & half (does that make it half of half & half? or a quarter?) with an equal dollop of the concentrate, whisked away, and threw it in the microwave. Delicious! Chai purists would probably note that there isn’t enough cardamom or anise in the spice blend, but neither of those are my favorite lead notes. Honey and cinnamon are in the forefront here, so what I’ve got sitting next to me in my favorite hand-thrown mug is pretty much eggnog.

Not sure what I’m enjoying more…the beverage, the pleasantly murky weather that makes it comfortable to drink seasonal stuff, or a little quiet time with my feet up to contemplate it.

It’s easy to forget (at least when you’re two spits away from the memory care hallway) whether you’ve tasted or reviewed seasonal teas…but when you revisit a good one, it’s like the first time all over again.

Especially with this little gem. Twinings has perfected the pastry/cookie aspect. Not too sweet; no doctoring with sugar or milk needed, although I’m thinking a little dairy could enhance it nicely.

Perfect for a dank, damp, foggy, chilly afternoon.

I’m not sure if ashmanra’s done “A Kind of Tea You Buy Even When You Aren’t Out” as a monthly prompt, but this fits the category, as our Food 4 Less had a seasonal Twinings display with everything less than $3. Can’t pass that up, especially as this one gets used year-round as a nightcap.

Nothing new to say about it; everything is very understated: hints of apple, wisps of chamomile, little twinkle of cinnamon. Just leave the bag in and enjoy.

Y’all are ten minutes too late to join the Great Laundry Room Possum Rodeo. Thanks to the cool head of my husband, a strategically wielded garden tool or two, and a laundry basket barricade to prevent a stampede through the kitchen doorway, Miz Possum trundled her rat-tail hindquarters out the door and conveniently jumped into the garage wastebasket, making disposal slightly less messy. Honorable mention goes to Minnie the Watch-Cat who fished us out from the back bedroom announcing that her territory had been invaded.

After all that, I was too worn out for anything but bagged tea.

This box was originally going to be part of a themed birthday present for a friend, then I changed themes. For a hibiscus hater’s household, it’s getting consumed faster than expected. I think that’s largely because lemon is supposed to be tart—you know what’s coming instead of being surprised by the pucker. The orange peel and chicory keep it from being painfully sour and add a little dimension.

And while there’s probably only a nominal amount of Vitamin C from the hibiscus, I’ll take whatever immune boosting I can get. People at work are dropping like flies with early flu.

Another treat from our newly-discovered shop in Springfield MO. At first, I thought this might be a privately labeled Adagio variety, but the steeping parameters are different if you compare the two websites. (Adagio’s version goes hotter and longer.)

At any rate, the scent in the sniffy jar sucked us in. Smells just like marzipan! Steeped (3 minutes, barbarically hillbilly western), it is lighter—leads with the tea itself with a gentle and tasteful almond overlay.

Perfect accompaniment for the picture outside the front window—neighborhood practically glowing with sunlight through the yellow leaves. We took our favorite country lane home after lunch…the trees meet at the top to make a tunnel; it was like driving through our very own autumn tickertape parade with leaf confetti.

Good apple teas are hard to find. This is one, although the apple flavor leans a little more toward candy than toward a genuine Granny Smith. The caramel doesn’t overwhelm the fruit element, which is a huge plus for me.

Lovely on an afternoon when the heat is out in our 100+ year old building!